Re: linux: detect application crash
Allison wrote: Hi, Several times when I worked with Windows, I have had a scenario when I am editing a file and saved some time ago and then the application crashes and I lose all recent data. Can the operating system detect all application crashes ? If so, why can't the OS save the user data to disk before the application quits ? How does this work in Linux. I was curious if such a functionality already exists in Linux. If not, what are the issues involved in implementing this functionality. The OS doesn't have enough information to be able to save the app's data in the event of a crash in a form that would be usable or meaningful, since only the app knows what format its data structures are in. The app itself could do this (installing a signal handler for segfaults, etc.) but the problem is that whatever caused the program to crash may have also left its data in a messed-up state. -- Robert Hancock Saskatoon, SK, Canada To email, remove "nospam" from [EMAIL PROTECTED] Home Page: http://www.roberthancock.com/ - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/
Re: linux: detect application crash
On Thu, 2005-03-17 at 15:27 -0500, Allison wrote: > Several times when I worked with Windows, I have had a scenario when I > am editing a file and saved some time ago and then the application > crashes and I lose all recent data. > > Can the operating system detect all application crashes ? If so, why > can't the OS save the user data to disk before the application quits ? > > How does this work in Linux. I was curious if such a functionality > already exists in Linux. If not, what are the issues involved in > implementing this functionality. It is hard to just wholesale "save the user's data" because the application is crashing, things are inconsistent, something is broken, etc. But it is possible to dump all memory (a core dump). Linux does this now. It is also possible to catch a segfault and handle it. Various GUI libraries do this. For example, GNOME handles segfaults, presenting the user with various options (send bug report, restart application, etc). The best bet, from an application developer's standpoint, is to just not crash. Second best, save early and save often. Robert Love - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/
Re: linux: detect application crash
On Thu, 2005-03-17 at 15:27 -0500, Allison wrote: Several times when I worked with Windows, I have had a scenario when I am editing a file and saved some time ago and then the application crashes and I lose all recent data. Can the operating system detect all application crashes ? If so, why can't the OS save the user data to disk before the application quits ? How does this work in Linux. I was curious if such a functionality already exists in Linux. If not, what are the issues involved in implementing this functionality. It is hard to just wholesale save the user's data because the application is crashing, things are inconsistent, something is broken, etc. But it is possible to dump all memory (a core dump). Linux does this now. It is also possible to catch a segfault and handle it. Various GUI libraries do this. For example, GNOME handles segfaults, presenting the user with various options (send bug report, restart application, etc). The best bet, from an application developer's standpoint, is to just not crash. Second best, save early and save often. Robert Love - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line unsubscribe linux-kernel in the body of a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/
Re: linux: detect application crash
Allison wrote: Hi, Several times when I worked with Windows, I have had a scenario when I am editing a file and saved some time ago and then the application crashes and I lose all recent data. Can the operating system detect all application crashes ? If so, why can't the OS save the user data to disk before the application quits ? How does this work in Linux. I was curious if such a functionality already exists in Linux. If not, what are the issues involved in implementing this functionality. The OS doesn't have enough information to be able to save the app's data in the event of a crash in a form that would be usable or meaningful, since only the app knows what format its data structures are in. The app itself could do this (installing a signal handler for segfaults, etc.) but the problem is that whatever caused the program to crash may have also left its data in a messed-up state. -- Robert Hancock Saskatoon, SK, Canada To email, remove nospam from [EMAIL PROTECTED] Home Page: http://www.roberthancock.com/ - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line unsubscribe linux-kernel in the body of a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/